The Real World
by trallgorda
Summary: Aelita finally makes it to Earth, but is she ready for everything that goes on? JxA, UxY
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ulrich, Odd, Jeremie, and Yumi were all sitting in science class, watching Ms. Hertz explain how to use the new scales they had gotten for the lab. Odd was doodling in his notebook, while Ulrich daydreamed. Jeremie was scrawling code into his notebook, while Yumi decided to pay attention. After all, _someone_ had to make sure they passed science.

"So, as you can see, these scales are very sensitive, so be careful," Ms. Hertz cautioned them, just as the bell rang. "We'll pick up here tomorrow!"

The class filed out, with Jeremie still scrawling away.

"Come back to Earth, Jeremie!" Odd said, waving a hand in front of his friend's face. "What's up?"

"I just thought of something, so I want to go try it out," Jeremie said, putting his notebook away in his backpack. "Anyone want to come to the Factory with me?"

Everybody grinned.

"Ulrich!" they heard across the schoolyard. It was Sissi, and she was coming on fast.

"Run!" Ulrich hissed, eager to avoid Sissi at any and all costs. They ran, scooting across the open yard and into the woods, scurrying to the manhole that led to the Factory.

"That was close," Jeremy remarked as they entered the elevator.

"I agree," Odd said, giving Ulrich a nudge. "Sissi's still got it for ya, huh?" he teased.

"I'd love it if she lost it," Ulrich muttered. "I _don't _like her!"

"But doesn't your heart pound just a little bit harder every time she comes around?" Odd persisted, putting his hands on his heart and fluttering his eyelashes.

Yumi smirked. "Yeah, it probably does. . .with fear!"

Everyone burst out laughing as the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

"Anyone in their right mind would be afraid of Sissi!" Ulrich said, dropping his bag in a corner. "Although why she has to pick on _me_. . ."

"Well, haven't you heard?" Yumi asked, smiling. "She says that you're just too cute!"

Ulrich could feel himself blushing.

"Okay, it's official, there's no accounting for taste," Odd said, smiling.

"That's it!" Ulrich said, launching himself at Odd. "You're gonna pay! I'll tell Sissi that _you're _the one who likes her!"

"No!" Odd cried, horrified. "Anything but that!"

"Ah, Ulrich, if you tell her that, you'll manage to scare her away for good. She'll probably run all the way to Timbutku," Yumi said, breaking the tension.

Everyone burst out laughing, and Ulrich, laughing too hard to fight anymore, called an end to the battle.

"Will you guys quiet down?" Jeremie demanded. "I'm trying to contact Aelita."

"Sorry, Jeremie," Ulrich said. "We just had to cut up a little."

"Well, do it somewhere else if you're going to be that noisy, okay?"

"Okay, okay," Odd said, going to where Jeremie was sitting. "So where's Aelita at?"

"I don't know, I haven't gotten hold of her yet," Jeremie said, sounding worried. "She's not responding to me at all."

Everyone got quiet while Jeremie searched. He was beginning a second round when they heard it.

_Clang._

_Clang clang thump._

"What's that?" Odd wondered. "Where's it coming from?"

They listened for a moment with no other sound than the computer running.

_Thump clang thump thump clang thump thump thump._

_Thump clang thump thump thump clang thump clang._

_Thump clang thump thump clang clang thump thump._

_Thump clang thump clang thump thump thump thump._

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that was binary of some sort," Jeremie said, sounding surprised.

"Binary?" Ulrich said, sounding very worried. "What is it saying?"

Jeremie listened as the sequence began to repeat itself. "H--E--L--P. It's saying 'help!' Hang on, I'll tap something else out."

Jeremie began tapping, and the clangs and thumps stopped, as if listening. The clangs and thumps resumed, almost frantic.

"What did you tap?" Yumi asked.

"I tapped 'Who are you?' Here's the answer!"

Everyone was quiet while Jeremie listened, and he gasped as the clangs and thumps stopped.

"Well?" Ulrich demanded. "Who is it? Is it XANA?"

Jeremie shook his head. "Aelita."

"Where?" Odd asked, sounding worried. "How can she make noise here? She's in Lyoko!"

"I'll ask her where she is," Jeremie said, beginning to tap. He finished, and then listened. The message ended and then began again.

"S--C--A--N--" Jeremie said. "N--E--R. Scanner? But how?" he asked, sounding very perplexed.

"Let's go see!" Odd said. "If it's her--"

"Then I want to know how she did it," Jeremie said, sounding excited.

All four kids crowded into the elevator and headed down. The clangs and thumps were louder, and they zeroed in on the only scanner making noise. Jeremie hit a switch to open it, and steam poured out. Everyone leaned in close to see inside--

Aelita, a full-blown, in the flesh Aelita, fell out of the scanner and onto the floor. She lay there a moment, breathing and staring up at them. Slowly, her breathing slowed and she got to her feet.

"At last," she said. "I've been trapped in there forever! Do you know how long I've been pounding?

"How--" Jeremie squeaked, too surprised to say anything.

Aelita smiled. "I'm still not sure. I began playing with the virtualization program while you were all at school, and suddenly, I was in the scanner! I never realized how small those things are until I was in it!"

"Do you remember what you did?" Jeremie asked, taking out his notebook.

"I sure do, I had plenty of time to think about the last code I entered while I was in the scanner. Here's what it is. . ."

Jeremie and Aelita were involved in their technical talk for close to an hour before Ulrich reminded them both of how time was passing.

"It's almost dinnertime, and Yumi has to get home, too," he said, pointing to his watch. "You guys can talk on the way back to school."

"Dinnertime?" Aelita said, sounding confused. Her face lit up as the truth dawned on her. "You mean eating? Food?"

"Yeah, that's the central idea, so let's go!" Odd said, grinning. "I'm hungry!"

"Oh, I think I'll call my folks and tell them I'll be late tonight and eat at school with you guys. This is a celebration, after all," Yumi said, smiling. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Everyone, especially Aelita, was looking forward to her first meal.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The kids arrived back at school in plenty of time for dinner, even when Jeremy insisted that they stop every time something caught Aelita's interest. First, it was the feeling of _feeling_ that surprised her, and then it was the feeling of the fabric of her clothes between her fingers that she couldn't tear her attention away from. She walked back and forth, enjoying the feeling of ground underneath her feet, and then she had to touch everything on the way back to school. She even had to touch each of her friends, but they were all patient with her. After all, this was her first day in the world!

They passed lilacs in bloom, and Jeremy suggested they stop for a few minutes to smell the flowers. From there, Aelita moved on to the grass, the trees, leaves, and even the dirt, but she had to return to the lilacs several times before she'd had her fill of them.

A truck roared by on the street, scaring Aelita half to death, but quickly, Jeremy reminded her about trucks and cars. Dust stirred up by its passing caused Aelita to cough, and she immediately waited for it to happen again.

"It'll happen when it's time for it to happen," Jeremy told her. "Come on, let's get back to school."

They reached the campus and got to the dining hall just as it opened up for dinner. They got in line and grabbed trays, and Jeremy loaded Aelita's personally after recommending the beef stew for her to try. With stew, a salad, bread, drinks,and a piece of chocolate cake each, they all headed to their favorite table.

"It's hot, Aelita, so you'll want to blow on each spoonful you take before you put it in your mouth," Jeremy warned her as Aelita took a spoonful.

Aelita did as he suggested and took a bite, her face breaking out into a large smile as the taste hit her.

"This is...oh, this is so good!" she said, hurrying to take another bite.

"Try the salad," Yumi suggested. "There's cheese and bacon on it."

Aelita did so, but she liked the crunchy croutons best. Bread and a sip of milk followed before Aelita dove back into the stew.

Dinner would have been perfect had Sissi not shown up. She spotted Aelita right away.

"Who are you?" she demanded, glaring at the group.

"I'm Aelita," she said, smiling. "And you are?"

Sissi stared at her. "My, we're polite," Sissi said, sticking her nose in the air. "'And you are?'" she mimicked nastily.

Aelita looked surprised that anyone would be so mean.

"Go away, Sissi," Odd said. "We've had our stress for the day, and we don't need to deal with a hairy beast."

She glared again, but she left in a huff.

"So that was Sissi?" Aelita asked, looking surprised. "Why is she so mean?"

"That's just the way she is," Jeremy said, patting her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Try not to worry about it."

Dinner finished with chocolate cake, which Aelita especially loved. "I'm going to have more of this tomorrow!" she said, licking icing off her spoon.

After supper, Yumi and Aelita headed to Yumi's for the night, and the entire gang walked them there. Aelita was delighted with the changes that had happened since sunset, and she darted back and forth trying to experience everything.

They said good night, and the boys headed back to school.

"Do you think Aelita's going to be okay?" Jeremy asked nervously. "I mean, I know she's with Yumi, but what if she has a nightmare or something and doesn't understand it?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Ulrich said, trying to calm his friend down. "If something happens that Yumi can't handle, then she'll be sure to call us."

Space

Aelita and Yumi showed up the next morning, ready and raring to go.

"Hey," Jeremy said, smiling. "How'd last night go?"

"It went great," Yumi said. "I had trouble waking her up this morning, though."

All the boys looked at Aelita. "I like the way sleeping feels," she said, smiling. "Warm and cozy. It's my new favorite thing!"

"Better than chocolate cake?" Odd teased.

Aelita looked thoughtful. "Well..."

Everybody had to laugh. The group decided that Aelita's name would be "Aelita Stones," and that she was Odd's cousin from Canada. She had come to the school to visit Odd and to give the place a look before deciding if she wanted to go there or not. She followed Jeremy and Odd around the whole day, going to each class they had. She was able to answer each question that was put to her, and only Sissi's glares showed her that not everyone was happy to meet her.

"She likes to be thought of as 'smartest girl,'" Odd explained in a whisper. "We're not fooled one bit, though. We know that _you're_ the smartest."

Aelita had to smile.

Space

Over the next month, Aelita began to feel at home. There was still trouble with XANA and trips to Lyoko, and a brief bout of homesickness, but she was able to live her life. Each new experience was a joy to her, even when she caught a cold and had to spend a few days in the infirmary.

"So this is what it's like to be sick!" she whispered gleefully to Jeremy while the nurse was in the other room.

"You're not bored, are you, Aelita?" Jeremy wanted to know. "If you are, I could come more often."

"No, I'm not bored. Sneezing's fun! Besides, I have books and magazines here, and I get oatmeal for breakfast, soup and sandwiches and crackers for lunch, and all the juice and popsicles I want!"

Jeremy stopped worrying after that.

Space

Aelita was up and about and happy as could be. She and the others were outside playing soccer when Odd began looking over to the left.

"What's up, Odd?" Ulrich asked when Odd missed his third pass in a row.

"It's that van over there," Odd said, looking perplexed. "It's been there a couple days now, and it looks as if there are people inside, but it never _goes_ anywhere."

Jeremy looked. There were two men inside.

Aelita took a chance to steal the ball, and that drew everyone else back into the game.

"Hey, come back, you ball thief!" Odd shouted. "Get back here!"

Aelita scored a goal, and she and Yumi cheered. It was a girls vs. guys game, and the girls got very competitive at times.

No one knew that there was someone in the van, taking pictures. Pictures were printed out of a hook-up to the camera, and each and every one of them were of Aelita.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Computer chips to each of my reviewers! Thanks, you guys!

Kaliann—I'm more familiar with the first season.

Niki—We're only in the first couple of chapters. Don't worry, they'll get some quality bonding time in.

Ryankyleperson—I'm writing. Glad you like it.

American-Kitty—There are always people like Aelita, and they have to deal with the world whether they're ready or not. I just decided to do a "what-if" with Aelita. She's my favorite character!

Lyoko Fan—Well, here's the next chapter.

Guardain of the Sky—Here's more.

Sargentaaron2004—Hey, thanks!

Chapter 3

The boys held a pow-wow in Jeremie's room, deciding not to tell Aelita or Yumi yet. After all, it could be nothing, or it could be something after all.

"Why do you think the van's still there?" Odd asked, looking perplexed. "I mean, it's been three weeks already, and it's still outside! Who do you think it is?"

Jeremie shook his head. "I don't know. I want to think it's nothing, but something's telling me it's not. I mean, when we went to the park the other day, it followed us!"

"Well, do you think we should tell the principal?" Ulrich suggested, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

"And what are we going to tell him?" Odd asked. "I don't think he'll believe a conspiracy theory or anything."

"Hey, a van that hangs outside a school full of kids is bound to make any grown-up nervous," Ulrich pointed out. "They'll wonder what it's doing there, too."

"Maybe," Jeremie said, looking out the window to the schoolyard, where it was raining. "Hey, what are Yumi and Aelita doing out there?"

All three boys looked, and they could see the girls out in the rain. Yumi was wearing a raincoat, but Aelita had abandoned hers, leaving it on a bench. She was smiling, and she held her hands out, trying to catch the rain. Her face was tilted up, and she spun back and forth, feeling the raindrops and laughing each time one fell on her nose. She stopped spinning and headed over to a puddle, watching the rain make ripples in the water.

"She's never felt rain before," Ulrich said, sounding thoughtful. "I keep forgetting how much she doesn't know."

"Let's go out and join them," Jeremie suggested. He sounded as if he didn't want to miss a moment of Aelita's discovery of rain.

"Hi, boys!" Aelita called as they got outside. "It's raining!"

"So we see," Odd said wryly as he pulled up his hood. "You're not cold, are you?"

Smiling, she shook her head. "It feels nice. Look at this, Jeremie!" And she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to a puddle, pointing at the ripples.

"There's something else you can do with puddles, Aelita," Jeremie said, sounding mischievous.

"What?"

Everyone started grinning, and in a moment, they were all jumping in the puddles, grinning even wider at Aelita's astonishment. She got over her surprise quickly and joined Jeremie in his puddle, jumping up and down and feeling the splash of water on her legs. By this point, she was laughing and holding onto Jeremie's hands, too happy to even talk.

Yumi, slipping, grabbed hold of Ulrich, but he lost his balance and fell, and they both ended up in a puddle together, soaked. They looked at each other and started laughing, unable to keep straight faces.

"What do you think you're doing!" an adult voice demanded, frightening them all. "All of you are soaked!"

A tall man, with dark hair and a moustache, came out of nowhere and glared at them. "You're going to catch a cold, getting wet like that! What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"Ah, who are you?" Odd asked, too surprised to be polite.

The man turned his glare on Odd. Odd gulped and fought the urge to back away.

"I'm Mr. Campbell, the new guidance counselor," he said, still looking angry. "I'll be filling in while your usual guidance counselor is on sick leave."

"What's wrong with him?" Jeremie asked. "I didn't know he was sick!"

"He's home-bound right now, but it's nothing serious," he told them. "You should go inside and get dried off. Now."

"I'll see you later, guys," Yumi said, heading towards the gate. "It's getting late."

"All right, Yumi. See you." Ulrich and the others headed to the dormitory, casting anxious glances back at Mr. Campbell.

"Sheesh. What a grouch!" Odd said as they headed upstairs.

"Maybe he doesn't like rain," Ulrich suggested.

"How can someone not like rain?" Aelita wanted to know. "It's so much fun, and it feels so nice! Like a shower, but cold."

"Eh, some grown-ups are just natural grumps," Odd said as they reached Aelita's floor. "How about when you're dry, you come up to our room, and we'll play some games? I'm killer at Monopoly!"

"All right," Aelita said. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Jeremie went to his room, dried off, changed clothes, and went to Odd and Ulrich's room. They were waiting on Aelita.

"I forgot how long it takes girls to get ready," Ulrich muttered, setting up the Monopoly board.

"It shouldn't take _this _long," Jeremie pointed out. "Do you think—"

Shouting cut him off. Jeremie's heart began to pound painfully loud when he realized that it was Aelita.

"Get away! Let go of me! Somebody, help!"

Space

Aelita had gone to her room and dried off, and then she headed to the boys' room. Humming a little tune, she marveled again at how you could _feel_ your voice in your throat and skull whenever you spoke.

She was almost there when she realized that there was someone behind her. Turning, she saw it was only Mr. Campbell.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Campbell," she said, smiling and turning back to head upstairs.

She suddenly became very nervous when she realized that he was following her. Reaching the top of the stairs, she scooted towards the boys' room, but Mr. Campbell was faster, grabbing her arm before she could go two steps.

"Ah, do you need something?" she asked him.

He nodded. "I need you to come with me, Aelita." He started to pull her back down the steps.

Aelita knew for a fact that she had not told this teacher her name. Frightened, she pulled away, grabbing hold of the banister and shouting for help. She heard a door bang open, feet pounding in her direction, and she prayed it was the boys.

Mr. Campbell heard it, too. He pried Aelita's fingers from the railing and picked her up, running down the stairs with her. Screaming, kicking, and praying that help would get to her, Aelita kept up the battle all the way downstairs and outside.

"Drop her!" Jeremie shouted. "Put her down, NOW!"

The boys had reached her, and Aelita almost fainted with relief.

"Let go of her!" Ulrich yelled, hoping another teacher would hear. "You've got two seconds to put her down before we get violent!"

"I don't need two seconds!" Odd snarled. "That's _my _cousin you've got!"

Mr. Campbell smiled. "She isn't your cousin, Della Robbia. You know that as well as I do. Now go back inside. Aelita and I have somewhere to go."

"Fat chance!" Odd snapped, charging Mr. Campbell, who held the still-struggling Aelita. Mr. Campbell fled, moving away from the fury that was the three boys.

"I could use some help, here," Aelita heard Mr. Campbell mutter. "She's got some friends who are easily ticked off." A moment of silence. "Gotcha."

_Is he talking over a radio transmitter?_ Aelita wondered, pausing for a moment in her struggle. _But why would Xana need a radio?_

With a screech of tires, a van, _the_ van, drove right through the gates, breaking them and leaving them on the ground. A side door opened, and Mr. Campbell headed right for it while Aelita started to fight again. Wildly, she started to use her fingernails on his face, and he yelped, but he didn't stop. With a leap, he was inside the van.

Jeremie saw it all in slow motion: The door slid closed, the van turned, and it was out the gate and heading down the street before the boys could even think of jumping in front of it to stop it. Ulrich stood staring, Odd was groaning "How could this happen?" and Jeremie sank to the wet ground, his legs no longer able to support him. They had lost Aelita.

None of the boys seemed to realize for a moment that the van had not been headed toward the Factory, but in the opposite direction.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Aelita still fought even when she was inside the van. Mr. Campbell tried to hold her, but she kept pulling away from him and screaming until he let her go. Immediately, she tried each and every door, but they were all locked, and she couldn't break the windows.

"Stop that!" he snapped, pulling her away from the latest window she tried to break. "You'll hurt your hand. Those windows can't be broken, okay? So knock it off." So saying, he deposited her in a backseat and fastened a safety belt around her.

Aelita's mind was moving a thousand miles a second. It couldn't be XANA who had her, because XANA wouldn't bother taking her somewhere other than the Factory. Right now, they were on their way out of the city. If these people weren't from XANA, then who were they and what did they want with her?

"Where are we going?" she asked, her eyes darting between the driver and Mr. Campbell. "You're not a teacher. What do you want with me?"

"It's nothing to worry about," Mr. Campbell said, turning in a seat to talk to her. "We aren't going to hurt you, Aelita."

"Nothing to worry about?" she sputtered, too surprised to speak coherently. "You just kidnapped me and---!" Too upset to keep talking, she felt tears running down her face. Just when she realized she was crying, she was much too frightened to stop to savor the sensation. "I want to go back! I wanna go home!"

"Oh, jeez, is she _crying_?" the driver wanted to know.

"Yes," Mr. Campbell said, sounding annoyed. "There was nothing like _this_ in the job description."

"Aw, c'mon, kid, there's no reason to cry," the driver cajoled, trying to calm her. "Let's be friends, huh?"

If anything, that only made Aelita cry harder. By this time, she was bawling, with her eyes squeezed shut and a veritable river of tears coming from them. Both men noticed that she was getting louder.

"Aelita, honey, stop crying now," Mr. Campbell said, trying to calm her.

"Waaah!"

"Campbell, I'm gettin' a headache. Can't you make her stop?" the driver complained.

"I'm trying!"

"Waaaaah! I want the boys and Yumi! I wanna go home! Waaaaah-waaaah!"

Some little corner of Aelita's brain was still registering sensations, and she realized that crying actually was serving a purpose. _It feels good to do this,_ she thought. _I may be scared, but that doesn't mean I have to pretend to be brave all the time. Especially if it makes these two kidnappers nervous and miserable. Up until now, _I've_ been miserable in this whole thing. Let them enjoy it for a change._

It felt like hours before the driver said, "Oh, thank you, God, we're there," and made a left turn.

Aelita looked and spotted a large house up ahead. They were driving up a very long driveway. Feeling as if someone had just drenched her with a bucket of cold water, Aelita realized that she didn't know where they were. She had stopped crying when she spotted the house, but being afraid all over again made the tears come once more. Whimpering, she let herself cry, not caring if she looked like the crybaby Sissi often claimed she was. She had a right to cry if she wanted to!

The van stopped, and Mr. Campbell got out of the car, opened the back door, unbuckled her safety belt, and lifted her out of the van.

"Put me down!" Aelita cried, kicking her feet. "Waaah!"

"There she goes again," the driver muttered. "I'm getting sick of this."

Campbell carried her up the front steps, across a verandah, through the front doors, and into a large entrance hall, where her voice echoed, surprising her. She was set on the floor, and immediately, she leapt up and ran to the door, trying to open it, pounding and kicking on it when it didn't open on the first try.

"Hey, now, that's enough," Campbell said, moving to her side to stop her.

Frightened and still crying, Aelita ran away from him, breaking through doors into another room that looked like a big living room. She kept running, and burst through another set of doors, but this time, she ran into someone.

Aelita lay on the rug, gasping and crying and feeling her hands and knees stinging from when she had fallen. Whoever she had hit had gotten up and was coming over to her.

"Well, there you are, Aelita," said a new voice, scooping her up from the floor. "What's the matter, honey? Did you hurt yourself?"

This was altogether too strange for her, so she screamed and pushed the person who was holding her away. That almost made him drop her, so he placed her on a couch, but stayed by her, holding her hand. "Why are you crying, Aelita?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

Campbell came in at that point. "Oh, good, there she is," he said, as Aelita's crying picked up in volume again. "She ran away from us."

"Why is she crying?" the new person wanted to know.

"Beats me, but she's been doing it since we picked her up."

"I WANNA GO HOME!"

Space

Jeremie, Odd, and Ulrich were all sent upstairs to bed after they were done talking to the police. The principal and Jim had come out, heard their babbled stories, and were on the phone within a minute.

"I don't believe this!" Odd muttered as they reached his and Ulrich's room. "Aelita's in trouble, and we're sent off to bed!"

"Who's going to bed?" Jeremie wanted to know. "I'm heading to the Factory."

"You're going _where_, Belpois?" Jim said, standing in the doorway. "Mr. Delmas asked me to make sure you three went where you're supposed to go. He doesn't want you to go running off trying to find your friend and getting lost and/or hurt in the process."

"But, Jim—" Jeremie began, but the burly PE teacher cut him off.

"No buts! Now, pajamas, teeth brushed, faces washed, stat! Let's move!"

"Fine, but I'm sleeping in Odd and Ulrich's room!" Jeremie said, stubbornly.

"All right with me, Jeremie. Now, on the double!"

With Jim marshalling them through the routine of getting ready for bed, and with a great deal of protesting and complaints, the boys were at last in bed and glaring at their watchdog.

"Good night, boys," Jim said, turning out the light. "We'll wake you if we hear anything." With that, he left, closing the door.

"It's not as if we're gonna actually sleep!" Jeremie shouted at the closed door.

They lay there for a minute before Jeremie got up and opened the door, intending to head straight to the Factory, even if he had to go in his pajamas. . .

And he ran right into Jim.

Without a word, Jim marched him back into Odd and Ulrich's room and watched him climb back into the cot that had been set up for him.

"Well, the Great Escape is cut short," Odd muttered after Jim had left a second time. "I take it he was out there?"

"Watching and waiting," Jeremie muttered back. "He's probably still out there."

Odd sat up, looked at the door, and shouted, "Hey, Jim, are you still out there?"

"Go to sleep, Odd," they heard Jim answer.

"But I'm _thirsty,_" Odd whined. "I need some water!"

"You're not thirsty, Della Robbia," they heard Jim growl. "Go to sleep!"

"But I _am_," Odd kept whining. "I really, _really _am!"

Jim walked in, glaring, and stalked over to Odd's bed. Jeremie and Ulrich were left staring at the still open and unguarded door.

"Didn't I tell you to go to sleep?" Jim demanded.

Odd just looked at him, and then leaped up onto Jim's shoulder's, startling him. "Go, you guys!"

They didn't need telling twice. While Jim wrestled with Odd, the other two boys ran out past them, ignoring Jim's shouted protests. They ran all the way through the school and into the secret tunnel, heading straight for the Factory.

Once Jeremie and Ulrich were gone, Odd hopped off of Jim and back onto his bed. Jim glared at him, ready to kill.

It took another half-hour for Jim to inform Mr. Delmas of the two escapees, and he came and gave Odd a stern lecture and two days' suspension.

"Hey, that's all right," Odd said, burrowing into the blankets. "Suspension I can do. Just one thing, though," he said, smiling innocently.

"Yes, and what is that?" Mr. Delmas wanted to know.

"D'you think Jim could get me that water?"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It took all three men forever to calm Aelita down enough to get her to listen to them. Even then, it was a chancy thing, since she continued to sniffle and every now and then a tear would trail down her face.

"Listen, Aelita, it isn't what you think," the third man said, trying calm her. "We didn't kidnap you to hurt you or anything, but to protect you."

She just looked at him.

"Protect me from what?" she demanded, wondering if he knew about Lyoko and Xana.

"From the agents who were after your father," he said. "We don't know what happened to him, and we didn't know where you were, but when we found you at Kadic, we were elated."

"My father?" Aelita echoed, surprised. She didn't have a father. What was this man talking about? "I don't understand."

"Do you remember your father at all, Aelita? Do you remember me?"

She shook her head, too confused to speak.

"I'm your father's brother, your Uncle Jules. I haven't seen you since you were small, but I knew you when I spotted you. These two," he said, motioning to the driver and Campbell, "are colleagues of mine. This is Roger Campbell, and Evan Mantrell. They agreed to help me get you here to talk to you."

Aelita began to get angry. "Couldn't you talk to me at school, then?" she snapped, getting to her feet. "I don't believe you. Not one word. You're going to take me back to school right now, do you hear me?"

"I'm not done explaining yet, Aelita," Jules said, putting a hand on her shoulder and coaxing her back into her seat. "Hear me out, will you? Do you remember what happened to your father? According to what I've heard, he disappeared the day you did."

"I don't have a father!" Aelita said, too frustrated to say anything else. "I don't have any family!"

"Then where did you come from?" Jules pointed out patiently. "If you can convince me you are not my niece, I'll take you back to Kadic myself."

"I'm Odd's cousin from Canada," she said, glaring at him.

"Odd Della Robbia? No, he has no cousins, and you don't have a Canadian accent."

"How would _you_ know?" Aelita asked, surprised. She hadn't expected him to know anything about Odd. . .

"I tried to learn about your friends. They're Ulrich Stern, Yumi Ishiyama, Jeremie Belpois, and Odd Della Robbia. According to school records, you're Odd's cousin from Canada, and you are at the top of your class. Your grade point average is 95.2. Teacher observations in your file say that you are quiet, well-behaved, studious, and very well-read and well-informed. Well done, I'm impressed."

Aelita only stared at him. "You read my files?"

"Yes."

She tried to think. "You said 'agents' before. What agents? Of what? What would they want with me?"

"They'd want to ask you about your father and his work. You say you don't remember anything?"

"I don't know _what_ you're talking about," Aelita admitted, feeling her throat close with tears again. This was all so confusing! "I don't remember having a father!"

"What _do_ you remember, Aelita?"

The tears came, but instead of sounding frightened, she sounded broken-hearted. This man was claiming she had a past in the real world when she didn't! She couldn't remember having parents; all she could remember was being in Lyoko! It wasn't possible that she had been born here in this world!

"It's all right, Aelita," Jules said, sitting down next to her and putting an arm around her shoulders. "It's all right if you don't remember. Perhaps something happened to you in Lyoko. . ."

Aelita felt her entire body go rigid. This man knew about Lyoko? But how? Against her better judgment, she turned and looked at him.

"Maybe I should show you your father's letters to me," Jules said, getting up and going to a desk. "Perhaps they'll help you understand. . ."

He returned with a bunch of letters wrapped up in brown paper. Unwrapping them, he handed the first one to Aelita, who opened it and read.

_Dear Jules,_

_I hope you are enjoying Canada. I heard that TechLabs is a fine place to work. We are all fine here. Aelita asks about "Unca Joo" all the time; I think she misses you. We missed you this Christmas. Aelita loves Mister Puck, and thank you for suggesting our getting it for her. They are inseparable. I'm working with a new concept that I've called "Lyoko." I'll let you know how it goes. Write to us soon, all right?_

_Your brother,_

_Franz_

Aelita felt a cold ball of ice settle in her stomach. She kept reading the letters, and every letter mentioned her and a woman who was supposedly her mother. There was one letter that described her mother dying, and Aelita wondered why she didn't feel more upset. Perhaps it was because she was too close to hysterics already.

Franz's letters became more frantic, less neat, and more erratic. She watched Lyoko go from a simple program to a world that actually existed, and Franz learned that by transforming the body into a digital code, it could be visited or inhabited. Xana turned into a monster from a simple defense program, and the people he worked with in a government building had stopped talking to him. He became worried, especially when people above him at work began asking him questions and telling him he'd better "toe the line."

The final letter told Jules what he was planning to do. Should the agents come for him, he and Aelita would be taking shelter in Lyoko, where they would be safe from anyone who wanted them.

As she finished the last letter, Aelita felt herself crying again. She sank so far down on the couch that she slipped to the floor, where she kept sobbing. It couldn't be true! It just couldn't be! If it were true, why didn't she remember? Why?

Jules looked at the girl kneeling on the floor and sobbing as if her heart had been shattered into a thousand little pieces. There was no way he could undo her new knowledge, but he _could _help her to feel a little better.

Picking her up, he carried her upstairs to the room he'd had decorated for her. It was pink and white and blue, and it was full of books and stuffed animals and big, overstuffed chairs and cushions to curl up on. He deposited the still-crying girl in one of the chairs and found a night dress for her.

She didn't even register being dressed for bed or being tucked underneath the blankets, but he stayed by her side until she calmed down and looked around. She stared at the pictures and toys and books, and gaped at the bedside lamp with its rose patterned shade. She looked as if she didn't believe where she was.

"Where. . .?" she began, but her voice died in her throat.

"This is your room, Aelita. I made it up for you so it would be a place where you could be comfortable. I know you're feeling very mixed up and confused right now, but I think that after a night of sleep and some breakfast in the morning, you'll feel better. Do you want to talk about anything?"

She shook her head.

"All right," he said, just as someone knocked on the door. It was Campbell, and he was carrying something white in a glass. Jules took the glass, thanked Campbell, and shut the door again. He carried the glass over to Aelita. "Why don't you drink this?"

"What is it?" she asked, eyeing the glass dubiously.

"It's warm milk with chamomile, nutmeg, and vanilla," Jules said as she took the glass. "Your father and I grew up drinking this when we were upset about something, and it helps you sleep."

Aelita sniffed it, sipped at it, and then began drinking it in great big gulps. It tasted so nice! Finishing it off, she handed the glass back to Jules and let herself sink into the pillows, suddenly too tired to sit up.

"If you like, we'll call your friends in the morning to let them know you're all right," Jules said, turning out the lamp and switching on a very small light instead. The lamp began to spin, throwing images of clouds on the walls and adding to the sleepy atmosphere of the room. Aelita burrowed into the covers, turned over, and sighed, falling asleep. Jules left, closing the door and smiling at the little girl who was sleeping so peacefully.

Space

Ulrich had fallen asleep, and Jeremie was still at the computer, working feverishly to find Aelita. She wasn't in Lyoko or anywhere else, that was for certain, and it wasn't possible that Xana had. . ._deleted_ her or anything like that. The only problem was, where _was_ she, and who had taken her?

Jeremie wasn't willing to give up. He'd find out what had happened if it was the last thing he ever did.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Aelita woke up, feeling as if her body had died. All of her limbs felt heavy and her thoughts were fuzzy. She had only felt this way once before when she had been sick. Jeremy had told her that it was because sometimes the body became very tired after illness or after a lot of stress. If last night counted as stress, then she was certain that she had been experiencing it.

Getting out of bed, Aelita wandered over to the window, looking outside. It was raining, but there was enough light out there to see by. She could see the front lawn, the wall, the driveway, and the road, but there were no other buildings. No, there was only forest for what seemed like miles. Where on earth was she?

She remembered everything that had happened and what that man—Uncle Jules—had said, but she wasn't sure if she believed it or not. How could he have known about Lyoko? If he was who he claimed to be, then what would happen next? Would he try to help them shut down XANA? If they managed that, would he try to take her away from Kadic and her friends? From what she'd read in books, he could do that. After all, he would be her guardian, wouldn't he?

Her head started hurting, so Aelita decided not to think about it anymore. Her stomach was rumbling, and she wanted to clean up and find something to eat. She checked every door, and on the third try (after finding the way out and a closet), she located the bathroom. A quick bath and she felt ready to face whatever would happen once she went downstairs. She found an outfit laid out for her on a chair and once she was dressed, decided to find everyone else.

Getting downstairs was the easy part, but finding other people was a little more difficult. She was in a part of the house that she had never seen before when she smelled something absolutely fabulous, so she followed her nose until it led her into a kitchen that would have been bright and sunny had it not been for the rain outside. The three men were sitting around the table drinking coffee, but all of them stood up once they realized she was there.

"Good morning, Aelita!" Uncle Jules said brightly. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, not able to think of anything polite to say.

"Want some breakfast?" he offered, pulling out a chair for her. "We have ham-and-cheese scrambled eggs. You loved them when you were little."

Without her saying anything, he loaded up a plate for her as she sat down, and, feeling a little wary, Aelita looked at her breakfast. It looked all right and smelled all right, so she took a tiny taste. Almost immediately, she realized how _wonderful_ the eggs tasted, so Aelita polished off her plate of scrambled eggs, croissants, and mandarin oranges. The glass of milk he poured her tasted even better, and she had two more glasses.

"My, someone was hungry," Campbell teased, smiling behind his cup of coffee.

"It tastes good," Aelita admitted, and then she remembered something. "You said last night that we would call my friends."

"Ah, yes. Thank you for reminding me," Uncle Jules said, getting up from the table. "Let's go to the study, and we can call from there."

Aelita followed him out the door, down a hallway, and through another door. She was surprised to recognize the study since she had trouble telling where she was in the house. It was all so confusing! Hallways intersected, and there were several ways to reach every room. She was certain that even if she stayed there a hundred years, she'd never learn her way around.

Once in the study, Uncle Jules held out the phone to Aelita. She took it, feeling very relieved. For a moment, she'd thought that he'd changed his mind, but no, he simply sat back and said, "Take as long as you like, Aelita," and opened up his newspaper.

Aelita dialled Jeremy, hoping against every hope she had that he would answer.

Space

Ulrich shook Jeremy awake. He'd been the first to fall asleep while Jeremy kept working, but when Ulrich woke up, he saw that Jeremy had slumped sideways in his chair and was deeply asleep.

"Jeremy, wake up," he said, taking his hand away from his friend's shoulder. "Find anything?"

Jeremy's eyes opened and he sat up, rubbing the side of his head. "Not really. She's not on Lyoko, in Carthage, or anywhere. I've been keeping an eye on the police scanner as well, and they haven't found anything."

Jeremy's phone rang, making him jump. "That'll probably be Odd," he said, pulling it out. "Hello?"

Ulrich saw Jeremy's face change and go a funny gray color.

"What is it?" Ulrich demanded, but Jeremy waved him silent.

"Where are you, Aelita?" Jeremy asked. When Ulrich heard that, he shot a fist in the air in excitement. Aelita was okay!

_I don't know,_ Ulrich heard her say. _Where are we?_

"Who's with you, Aelita?" Jeremy asked, surprised.

_Long story, _Aelita answered. _He says we're on R 22, no. 31,Ancienville_.

"Ancienville?" Jeremy sputtered. "But that's two hours away! Is that where you were taken?"

_Uh-huh. I'm all right, though.I'll have him bring me back to school_.

Jeremy heard a momentary pause as someone said something in the background.

_What do you mean, you're not taking me back!_


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"I meant exactly that," Uncle Jules said calmly from the couch. "The agents could be looking for you, Aelita. We can't risk having you at Kadic right now, and you'll be much safer here."

Aelita heard Jeremie's voice saying her name, and she pressed the phone against her ear. "He says he's not bringing me back," she said, feeling numb once more.

_What?_ Jeremie blurted. _Who is he? What's he want with you? Why won't he bring you back?_

"He says that he's my uncle, but I don't know what to think about that," she said, not caring if Jules had his feelings hurt or not. At the moment, she was too angry to care. "He brought me here to keep me safe from agents that were after my father."

Silence. Then, _Umm, Aelita, you have to know he's lying. You don't have a father._

"That's what I told him!" she wailed, feeling ready to cry again. "But he knows about Lyoko!"

Silence, as if Jeremie were too stunned to speak. _WHAT?_

Jules leapt from the couch, taking the phone from her. "Aelita, you told your friends about Lyoko?" he asked, sounding worried.

"They're the ones who helped me leave it," Aelita said, reaching out to snatch the phone away from Jules. "Of course they know."

"Who else knows?" Jules demanded while Jeremie's tinny-sounding voice was demanding to know what had happened. Jules kept the phone out of Aelita's reach, sounding worried.

_Aelita? Hello? What's going on?_

"Only my friends, now give me back that phone!" Aelita snapped. She was tired of being nice to this kidnapper!

Looking grim, Jules hung up, pushed a few buttons, and turned the phone off, leaving Aelita speechless and staring at him.

"What did you do that for?" Aelita demanded, pummeling Jules' chest with her fists. "Give me that phone!"

"I think we're done making phone calls today, Aelita," he said, locking the phone in a drawer. "The situation is worse than I thought. Outsiders know about Lyoko. How are we going to keep the project under wraps now?"

"I don't care!" Aelita shouted, feeling angrier by the moment. "Right now, the whole world can go to Lyoko on vacation if they want, I just want to go back to Kadic! I don't care if you're really my uncle or a crazed maniac or a figment of my imagination! I want to go back to school and be just Aelita Stones again!"

That seemed to snap Jules out of his worry for a moment. "Aelita, sweetie. You can't go back to Kadic, and you can never be just plain old 'Aelita Stones' again. Lyoko and the threat from XANA are too big to consider living normal lives. You're linked with Lyoko and XANA, aren't you, since you've been there so long?"

"Yes, but we've almost solved that problem," she said, sounding certain. "I won't have to worry once Jeremie and I figure it out."

Jules nodded. "And you'll shut down XANA and live happily ever after, huh?"

"That's our current plan, yes," Aelita told him, glaring. "So that's why I want to go back to Kadic. The more time I spend away from there, the longer it will take to figure out how to break the link between me and XANA."

Jules looked at her thoughtfully. "I understand. You know, Aelita, I wasn't going to show you this, but I think you should know. Come with me."

Aelita looked at him. "What are you going to show me? I won't go with you unless I know."

"You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?" Jules sighed, sinking onto the couch. "All right, then. When your father began to build Lyoko, he made a copy of all he did and sent it to me. Well, I tweaked it a little, intrigued by the concept of a digital world. Right now, I've got something on my hands that I don't quite understand. You see, I brought you here to keep you safe and to let you know who I was, but I also wanted your help with something. What I have now is something like a parallel Lyoko, but it has a little twist. While you were scanned onto Lyoko, there's an inhabitant in this Lyoko that I made inadvertently. He thinks and feels and lives, but he is a part of that world. He interacts with me, Campbell, and Mantrell, but I can tell he gets lonely. What I really want to do is to bring him here. Since you were brought here, I would like your help in bringing him here as well."

Aelita stared at him. "How? Where is it? How did you--?" she stopped and took a deep breath. "Show me."

Space

"Aelita? Aelita?" Jeremie yelled into the phone. "Oh, great!"

"What happened?" Ulrich demanded, hopping from foot to foot in an effort to keep from losing his mind. His adrenaline was pumping like crazy.

"Someone took the phone away from Aelita and hung it up, and he's blocked my number! Do you have your phone here?"

"No, I didn't stop to grab it last night when we ran out," Ulrich muttered, sounding ready to kick himself.

That was when the elevator opened, revealing Odd, Yumi, and Kiwi. "Still haven't found her?" Odd asked, seeing their long faces. "I brought your clothes,Ulrich's phone, and some breakfast for you two, as well as Kiwi, to keep us all company."

"How did you two sneak away from school?" Jeremie asked, surprised. "You have to know that Jim and Mr. Delmas wouldn't be happy with you for what you did lastnight, Odd."

Odd shrugged whileYumi smiled. Odd hadgone to her house before she'd even left for school and explained thewhole situation, as well as what he'd donelast night. Taking turns, they explained this whileJeremie and Ulrich dug intothe breakfast sandwiches, fruit, and cartonsof milk that Odd had brought. Then, Jeremie and Ulrich explained what they had been doing, leading up to the call they received that morning.

"And that's when you two arrived," Jeremie finished, wiping away his milk mustache.

"I'll try Aelita on my phone," Yumi said, pulling her mobile out. Dialling the number that Jeremie gave her from his phone, she waited, listening whenan answering service picked up.

"It's some guy named Jules Hopper, and he's sorry, but he can't come to the phone right now," Yumi muttered. "D'you think that he could be related to Franz Hopper?"

"He'd have to be. After all, it's not really a common name, is it?" Odd pointed out.

"He may have been telling the truth," Jeremie said, sounding very thoughtful. "Butthen again, he could be lying."

"If only we could know for sure," Yumi said, sounding scared. "I mean, poor Aelita..."

Everyone was quiet, but Jeremie smiled. "She managed to give me the address," he said, causing everyone to look at him. "Route 22, no. 31, Ancienville."

Odd whistled. "Ancienville? Isn't that the little resort village up in the mountains? That's two hours away by car. It'd take us forever to walk it."

"But it's not too far by train, and the Eurail line goes right to it. We can take a taxi the rest of the way, or rent bicycles," Jeremie pointed out.

"Sounds good to me," Ulrich said, grinning. "There's just one thing, though."

Everyone looked at him.

"What do you think Jim and Mr. Delmas, not to mention Yumi's parents, are going to do to us once we get back?"

Silence fell, but then Odd piped up, "Let's just beg for mercy when we get back, huh? We have to help Aelita!"

Space

Jules led Aelita to a set of stairs that obviously led down into the basement. At the bottom of the stairs, Aelita could see nothing but one big room with a jury-rigged super-computer. There were bundles of CPUs that were set up through the room, anda few keyboards and four monitors sitting on the desk in the center. There was also a strange affair that looked like a glass coffin that had wires running out of its back.

"What is that?" she asked, pointing. "The glass coffin thing?"

"That's my version of a scanner," Jules explained. "I don't know how Franz built his, but this one works very much like a flatbed scanner, except that it scans every part of you with apparati hidden in the glass. Neat, huh?"

Aelita looked at it. "It reminds me of the glass coffin in 'Snow White,'" she said, turning to him and then looking about at all of the CPUs. With the way they were set up, they resembled a miniature city of skyscrapers. "It looks like you used a bunch of PCs to make this set-up. Does it really power a Lyoko? How can you get enough power to do that?"

"They may look like ordinary CPUs, but they have a great deal more of storage space than regular computers. Also, I have a several generators running around the clock to get enough power to run the system. It all works, thank goodness. I don't think that Merrick would forgive me if he shut down."

The name caught Aelita's attention. "Merrick?"

"The inhabitant of the Lyoko I have running here," Jules explained. "When he was first born, I asked him what his name was, but he said that he didn't know what a name was. I explained, and he said he'd like to choose his own. He chose Merrick."

"Oh." Aelita didn't know what else to say to that. She was still having trouble believing that Jules had actually managed what he'd claimed to do.

"Would you like to meet him?" Jules invited, settling into the chair that sat in front of the desk.

Aelita nodded, somewhat nervous.

Without a word, Jules turned to a keyboard and typed in an access code. A window opened, and she heard some humming, as if a program were running.

"Merrick?" Jules said, trying to get his attention. "Merrick? Where are you?"

_"I'm in the garden, Uncle Jules,"_ came over the computer's speakers.

Jules hit two more keys, and a different window opened, revealing a scene of grass, flowers, blue sky, trees, gravel paths, and a fountain. Next to the fountain, on a bench, sat a boy. He was dressed in black trousers and boots, a white shirt and black tunic over it, and he had very fair skin. Most amazing of all, he had bright silver eyes and silver-streaked black hair.

_"Is it morning?"_ he asked, and smiled when he saw Jules nod. _"Well, good morning, then! How are you?"_

"I'm fine, thank you, Merrick," he said, smiling. "How are you this morning? Aren't you supposed to be studying?"

Merrick shrugged, looking a little chagrined. _"The garden looked so nice that I couldn't stand studying in the classroom any longer. I wish you could fix the programs so I could bring some books out here."_

"Well, I'm working on it," Jules said. It sounded to Aelita as if they'd had this conversation before. "I brought someone to see you today, Merrick."

Merrick looked interested. _"Mr. Campbell or Mr. Mantrell?"_

"Neither," Jules said, enjoying the surprise on the boy's face. "It's my niece, Aelita. Would you like to meet her?"

_"Niece? You mean, your brother's daughter? The girl you told me about?"_

"The one and only," Jules promised. "Well? How about it?"

Merrick nodded, and Jules waved Aelita in front of the monitor. Up close, Merrick looked even more interesting, and she could see every expression on his face. He was staring at her, and Aelita was beginning to feel a little uncomfortable. Didn't he know that it was rude to stare? His next words explained everything.

_"Oh, my. You're the first real girl I've ever seen, and Uncle Jules didn't tell the truth when he said you were pretty. You're not pretty at all!"_

Aelita allowed her surprise to show. First, she was surprised that Jules had already told this boy about her, and second, he was awfully candid in his opinions! Jeremie told her all the time that she was pretty! He said so at least three times a day, and often he said that she was beautiful! When she asked the others if she really was, they always agreed. What did this boy know?

_Calm down,_ she told herself. _Maybe I don't look pretty to him. _"Well, if I'm not pretty, what am I, then?" she asked, trying to be nice.

_"Beautiful,"_ Merrick answered, still staring. _"Absolutely beautiful. Could we get married?"_

Aelita felt herself blush a bright red that she was sure Merrick could see over the video link. Uncle Jules chuckled.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Jules sat back and watched Aelita talk with Merrick. Both of them were full of questions, and it seemed as if they were ready to spend hours just asking each other all sorts of things. Aelita wanted to know what Merrick's home was like, so he took her on a little tour.

"Well, this is the garden," he said, waving his hands around the space where he was at the moment. "I decided a European garden would be nice today."

Aelita looked confused. "You mean you can change it? Change what it actually is?"

"Of course," Merrick said, smiling. "There's a menu I can pick from. It has things like, oh, a water garden, a Japanese rock garden, a desert garden, and lots of others."

Aelita blinked. "Oh."

"Would you like to see the classroom?" he asked, looking hopeful.

"You go to school?"

"Sort of," he admitted. "Here, I'll go through a gate and show you."

_A gate must be like a tower,_ Aelita thought as the scene on the monitor changed. It was a room now with two tables, chairs, bookshelves full of books, what looked like a science corner, and a chalkboard. There was a mobile of the planets hanging from the ceiling, a map of the world on the wall, and an entire wall of nothing but windows. It showed the garden.

"This is where I study," Merrick said, standing at the front of the room. "Uncle Jules said that it's like the classrooms on Earth."

Aelita had to admit that it did look like some of the classrooms at Kadic. "What do you study?"

"Oh, anything. Sometimes Uncle Jules will give me a list of things to learn about. Just now, I'm learning about shopping—you know, using money—and about what the Earth is like," Merrick said, showing her his latest project. It was a 3-D map of France, and it was quite good.

"What do you do when you're not studying?"

Merrick smiled. "Oh, anything. I sit in my room, or I go to the interface and have fun."

Aelita blinked. "Interface?"

"It's like...oh, a big canvas where I can draw or make things," he said, going through another gate. "Also, there are lots of programs I can run in there. I can go swimming at a lake or beach, I can walk through a forest, or I can walk around a village square. There's lots to do. Sometimes I make a new program and try that out, but I don't always get all the details right."

The interface wasa large, empty room with dark walls that were criss-crossed in white gridlines. A window appeared in front of Merrick, and he slid his finger down it, scrolling through possible options. When he found one he liked, he tapped it with a finger. Before Aelita's eyes, the room transformed into a peaceful lakefront, and she could hear birds singing.

"This one is my favorite," Merrick said. "It's so nice and quiet. Uncle Jules made it for me as a surprise."

"It's pretty," Aelita said, admiring it. "Are there any other regions?"

Merrick looked thoughtful. "Regions?"

"Well, when I was on my Lyoko, there were four regions I could visit," she said, explaining. "There was a forest, a desert, an arctic region, and a mountain region. Is there anything like that for you?"

Merrick shook his head. "This is really all I'm able to visit," he said, sounding a little surprised at Aelita's description. "There's still my room. Would you like to see it?"

Jules smiled at Merrick's enthusiasm. He'd never had someone of his age to talk to before, and he was eager for Aelita to like him. He hovered in the back of the room, watching Merrick show Aelita everything about his bedroom. Merrick did not sleep, but he did like to lie down and pretend after hearing about sleeping, so Jules had formatted a bedroom for him. In the room was a bed, dresser, table and chairs, and a mirror that Merrick loved using. Aelita laughed at the faces Merrick pulled in front of it, and she laughed even harder when Merrick stood on his head.

"It's even more fun when you're in front of the mirror itself," Merrick said, getting back to his feet. "Would you like to visit me here, Aelita? I'm sure Uncle Jules could make it happen!"

That caught Aelita by surprise. She liked Merrick, and this odd type of Lyoko interested her, but did she want to go there? There were other worries, too: her friends (they had to be frantic by now!) and school,and if she went to see Merrick, would she be able to return? And what about XANA? It was all so complicated!

"I'm sure that it'll be possible, Merrick," Uncle Jules said, stepping forward and putting a hand on Aelita's shoulder. "I just have to make an analog."

Aelita looked up at him. "I can't go right now," she said, sounding very uncertain.

"Well, it will take time," Jules said, giving her a wink. "There's no hurry."

Merrick whooped and jumped about, too happy for words. Aelita gave him a smile and said that she felt as if she should have some fresh air. Jules agreed, and after telling Merrick they'd see him later, they headed out onto the verandah for a while. Even though Aelita was busy wandering the verandah and the front garden, she was thinking very hard.

Space

Everyone was surprised at how well their plan was going. The tickets were easy to buy (with Odd having the greatest allowance, he paid for everyone) and the train was ready and waiting for them. No one looked twice at a group of kids.

"Well," Odd said, leaning back in the cushioned seat of the train, "I have to say that I like traveling."

"Let's hope we live long enough after this trip to take another," Ulrich said, looking out the window. "We're going to get killed, I just know it."

Odd grinned. "Why worry about it, buddy? I mean, I'm sure the grown-ups will be way too happy to see Aelita safe and sound to be too mad at us."

"Odd's right," Jeremie said, looking at his laptop screen. "They can't be mad at us forever, and if Aelita's all right, then they'll be happy."

Yumi nodded. "I don't think that even my parents would be too mad, since I was helping a friend," she said.

"I suppose," Ulrich said, watching Odd feed bits of a ham sandwich to Kiwi, who was in Odd's knapsack.

"All right, let's talk about what we're going to do when we get there," Jeremie said, closing his laptop. "Do you think we should take a taxi, or what?"

"I say taxi," Odd said. "I mean, if we took bicycles, and the guy noticed Aelita was missing, he might catch us before we got back to the train station."

"Good point," Jeremie said. "But can we trust a strange adult?"

"If only we were able to rent a car and drive it on our own!" Yumi said, frustrated. "That way, we'd be sure to get Aelita away, and we'd be able to keep everything quiet without adults."

"No place will rent a car to us without a driver's license, which none of us have," Ulrich pointed out.

"Sad but true," Odd said, looking very thoughtful. "What if we go to the police in Ancienville? You know, I'm sure they're sure to have heard about a girl being kidnapped, and if we tell them that we're her friends, and she managed to get a message to us, we'd have a ride there and back, and we'd have protection."

"That's leaving a lot to chance, Odd," Jeremie said, not sounding happy. "And I thought we wanted to keep this quiet from the adults? I mean what if it's actually XANA? How are we going to explain _that_?"

"Oh. Never mind."

Everyone else stayed silent until the train stopped in Ancienville. At the station, Ulrich looked up possible transportation opportunities in the station directory, and he came back smiling.

"There's a bicycle rental place here in the main part of town, just a few blocks away. Groups of four or more get a discount today of twenty percent off. Also, I managed to find out that there are paved bicycle trails that go out to Route 22. We'll be able to get Aelita without having to use the main roads. If we time it right, we can be back to catch the 21:30 train."

"Oh, that's perfect!" Yumi said, smiling while Jeremie gave his mark of approval. "Let's get out there as soon as we can!"

"First off, though, we have to take Kiwi for a walk," Odd said. "While I'm doing that, you guys go and get some provisions somewhere, we're all hungry, I can tell." So saying, he handed his wallet to Ulrich. "Go shopping and pay for the bikes, okay?"

"We appreciate this, Odd," Jeremie said, giving Odd a clap on the shoulder.

Odd shrugged, holding his knapsack. "Hey, no problem. What else am I going to spend it on, hot chocolate? I'll meet you back here once I'm done with Kiwi."

Ulrich, Jeremie, and Yumi rented three single bikes and one tri-rider for Jeremie. It was the type with a large basket in the back, and Aelita would be able to ride in it on the way back to town. Arranging to pick them up after they were done shopping, they headed to a little sundry store and bought sandwiches, chips, and juice drinks. When the lady behind the counter asked them if they were going for a picnic, they assured her that they were since it was a school holiday. They bought enough food for them all, even given Odd's rapacious appetite.

They met up with Odd, got the bikes, and headed for the bike trails. Hopefully, they would be able to get Aelita out of there without too much trouble.

Space

Some feeling of caution kept Aelita outside all that day. Campbell stayed with her, since Uncle Jules had work to do, he said, and they didn't want Aelita to get lonely. She wasn't fooled: it was because they were afraid she would run off if left on her own. She played find-her-shadow among the bushes of flowers in the garden and periodically let herself be seenby Campbell so he wouldn't worry. She was so used to being on her own in this strange house that she received a shock when she heard something.

"Psst! Aelita!"

Space

They found the house with no trouble, and all of them were left staring at it in awe from the bike path.

"It's...huge," Odd said, gaping at it.

"How are we going to find Aelita in that huge place?" Jeremie groaned. "She could be anywhere!"

"Let's not panic before we even get a closer look," Yumi said, hopping off her bike and heading up towards the fence.

All of them followed, and all of them gasped when they spotted Aelita. They almost didn't recognize her in the outfit she was wearing: white cardigan sweater set, pink pleated skirt, white knee socks, and brown loafers. It was so different from her jumper dress that they were surprised.

"Wow," Jeremie said, staring at her. "She looks...gorgeous."

"Focus, Einstein," Odd said. "How are we going to get her to come over here?"

"Uh, we're not," Ulrich said, looking towards Aelita. "She's headed this way."

Taking a deep breath, Jeremie called to her in a soft voice. "Psst! Aelita!"

Space

Aelita felt as if she had just been struck by lightning. Slowly, she meandered towards where she had heard Jeremie's voice, and, peeping through the ivy that covered the fence, she spotted her friends.

"Oh, it's so good to see you!" she whispered, dropping to sit on the grass. All of them noticed tears in her eyes.

"Is anyone watching you?" Jeremie whispered back.

"Yes..."

"Then pretend to pick flowers, so he won't get suspicious. Are you all right, Aelita?"

"Yes, I'm all right, just very glad to see you," she said, plucking a few daisies. "You won't believe this place. A man who claims to be my uncle had those men kidnap me in order to keep me safe from government agents who were supposed to be after me and Franz Hopper! What's more, he's created a Lyoko here! It's very different, I saw it over the computer monitor. Also, there's someone who lives on this Lyoko, just like I did!"

All of them stared at her.

"It's not another XANA, is it?" Odd wanted to know.

"No, it's a boy named Merrick, and he's our age. Jules--that's supposed to be my uncle--wants my help in materializing him."

Everyone stared at her. Jeremie was the first to speak.

"Are you serious? Has he actually managed to create another Lyoko? How is that possible?"

"I don't know," Aelita admitted. "But I've seen it. It exists, and a boy named Merrick lives there."

"Well, now what do we do?" Ulrich asked. "We came to get you out of here, Aelita, but it sounds as if you want to stay."

Aelita stareted to pick petals off a daisy. "This new Lyoko, and this boy who lives there...I feel sorry for him, and I want to help him live here in the real world, just like you helped me, Jeremie, but I don't want to stay here with this man who says he's my uncle. I don't trust him. I keep getting the feeling that he isn't telling me everything. What should I do?"

None of them had a ready answer.

"Aelita, do you think you could explain to Merrick how to reach my laptop? We'd be able to talk with him after we leave, and we'd be able to maybe help him materialize. Would that be all right with you?"

She nodded. "That would be fine. I'll go explain it right now, and then I'll come back out here to you so we can go."

Jeremie smiled. "All right. We'll be waiting, and be careful."

Aelita gave her friends a last smile and headed back to the house. Campbell, who had been reading a newspaper and so had not noticed Aelita talking to the ivy covering the fence, looked up as she reached the front door.

"Going inside, Princess?" he asked, winking at her.

She nodded. "Yes, I thought of something I want to tell to Merrick."

"All righty, then," Campbell said, going back to his newspaper. "Have fun, and tell Merrick I say hi."

"I will," she promised, going inside. She headed down to the basement, where the monitor was still on, but Jules was nowhere to be seen. On the screen, she could see Merrick running back and forth on the screen, chasing butterflies. It reminded Aelita of a screensaver she'd seen once, and she smiled.

"Hi, Aelita," Merrick said, stopping the Great Butterfly Chase. "What's up?"

"I came to see how you were, and to tell you that Mr. Campbell says hi," she said, smiling. "Also, there's something else I need to tell you, but you can't tell Uncle Jules. It's a surprise."

"What is it?" he asked, interested.

Quickly, Aelita explained.

"You mean, I'll be able to talk to you through this program your friend made?" he asked, surprised. "All I need to enter in the interfaceis this code, and it will be like picking up a telephone and talking? Oh, this is wonderful!"

Aelita smiled and nodded. "That's right. We'll be able to work on your materialization wherever we are."

Merrick gave her a thumbs-up. "I get it. But why don't you want me to tell Uncle Jules?"

Aelita looked sorry. "Well, I wanted to tell you all this before I left."

"You're leaving? Why?" Merrick asked, looking very unhappy.

"I can't stay here," Aelita explained. "He wants me to stay, and I can't. I don't want you to tell Uncle Jules because he would try to find me again and bring me back. I can actually work on your materialization better at home, and if he brings me back, we'll have to start all over again. I'll send him a letter later, explaining, but until then, you can't say a word, all right?"

"All right," Merrick answered, but he didn't look happy. "You won't take too long to contact me, will you?"

"I won't," Aelita said. "I promise. Talk to you soon."

With that, Aelita left and made her way back outside. She wandered about the yard, noticing that Campbell was engrossed in his newspaper yet again. She went to where she had seen her friends before and whispered for them.

"You told him?" Jeremie asked, smiling. "Great. Do you think you can get through the bars of the fence?"

Aelita examined the fence. It was old black iron bars, and she was certain that she could squeeze through. Wiggling, sliding, and sucking in her stomach got her through, and she hugged each of her friends before they handed her a helmet.

"We're taking bikes?" she asked, strapping on the helmet.

"Yep, it was the easiest way," Jeremie said, getting onto his bike. "You get to ride with me, Aelita."

Aelita smiled and clambered into the basket, and they were off.


End file.
